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MyspaceActing Governor Abel Maldonado signed an executive order Tuesday morning at Goleta Beach that enhances coastal protection. Maldonado signed the order with local and state officials in attendance as well as his three children, whom Maldonado said he brought along because of the legislation’s historic significance.
Executive order S-16-10 mandates that all entities that own or operate offshore marine drilling facilities update their Oil Spill Contingency Plans (OSCP) to deal with uncontrolled oil releases (both natural or human-caused). The deadline for these reports is June 1, 2011. Secondly, the order requires that the State Lands Commission receive a third-party certification of the compatibility for blowout preventers from operators of all 27 oil wells off the coast of California. This requirement must be met by January 31, 2011.
Dr. Dan Secord of the California Coastal Commission was in attendance to commemorate the event. He highlighted Santa Barbara’s historic role in the environmental movement and noted that the executive order “is a milestone in coastal protection.”
Paul Wellman
Abel Maldonado at Goleta Beach on Tuesday surrounded by his sons
Maldonado addressed the gathering of reporters and other officials by first introducing his family and speaking of his grandfather. “I brought my boys here because of today’s historic significance … I remember my grandfather telling me one particular thing: ‘Son, they don’t make coastline anymore, and we need to protect what we have.’”
After recent visits to the Gulf Coast, Maldonado expressed the importance of planning in government and the private sector to protect our coastline, noting that some of the best minds contributing to the Gulf Coast cleanup hail from California.
Santa Barbara’s Mayor Helene Schneider, also in attendance, commented on the necessity of these kinds of orders because of the proximity of California’s oil rigs to the coast compared to those in the Gulf Coast. Even more significant, Schneider stressed, is Santa Barbara’s history of oil spills. “[There is] a need for interaction between all — agencies, federal, state, and local — to work together in planning and combating oil spills.”
Comments
"all 27 oil wells off the coast of California"
You have your facts very wrong I'm afraid. There are at least 53 producing wells offshore California at present. I get this information from the CA Dept. of Conservation and the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (formerly MMS). As of 7/14/10 there have been 1,348 wells drilled offshore on the Pacific coast. There are currently only 23 platforms, per the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
caldiver (anonymous profile)
October 13, 2010 at 2:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Before we get all goo-goo teary eyed at Abel's commitment to the coastal environment, read what the Assemblymember from Marin Jared Huffman had to say about the Lt. Gov:
Just a couple weeks ago, upon the request of Assemblymember Jared Huffman (D-Marin), LG Abel Maldonado promised to talk to Governor Schwarzenegger regarding AB 234, which would have required pre-booming prior to and during Marine Oil transfer operations. To no surprise, LG Abel Maldonado didn't follow through on his commitment - not once returning Assemblymember Huffman's phone call - instead decided to ignore it. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed Assemblymember Huffman's bill on September 30, 2010 and [yesterday, as acting Governor] after not performing his due diligence, LG Abel Maldonado is trying to take credit by signing an executive order to "strengthen California's policies to safeguard its coastline from oil spills." Assemblymember Jared Huffman, author of AB 234, said, "Today's photo op by Mr. Maldonado is an act of extreme hypocrisy and nothing more than a facade of protection against oil spills. AB 234 would have gone much further than a mere executive order involving offshore oil rigs."
pedronava (anonymous profile)
October 13, 2010 at 5:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)